Getting to Grips with the Media

To decide about which is the right social media you can use you must understand the audience you want to influence. Public relations practitioners use Media Relations Campaigns to target their key media with news stories and highlight the existence and benefit of the products they are offering. The media campaigns should be well designed and highly structured, a step by step process is essential to make your media campaign a success.

Step 1:

The very first step to do so is to decide which audiences you want to target, and from that, determine which key media will reach them. Is it a print, broadcast or internet media? Or a combination of these? For each media, identify exactly which audiences are reading, listening to or watching them. Online media has become a very integral part of marketing and must be used whenever you want to target the audience and ensure that you are getting to the right people.

Step 2:

Once you have decided the target audience and the media you are going to use to convey them your message you must decide about what message you are going to give them, using at least one news angle. You must consider: what news does the organisation have that will interest them? Does it have Consequence? Interest? Timeliness? Proximity? Prominence? Is it relevant? And other questions like that.

Step 3:

The other things to look for in your media campaign is your press release which should be short, précis and to the point to make it more eye catching to the audience. Press pack to introduce yourself to the journalist and provide a little background information about you. The other things to consider is the Articles and features which is a more detailed way of getting into media, Case studies, Press conferences, Interviews, Photography, Media briefings, Events, Research, Publications- brochures, newsletters, product information, Press office backup, Sponsorship and awards ,Website having copies of all your press releases or events etc, Exhibitions and Seminars and presentations are all very effective way of getting your message around and provide endorsement of company you are presenting the webinar about.

Press Releases

The most common media relations technique is to issue a Press or News Release. You must summarise the news in the first paragraph into one sentence and include key facts such as: who, what, where, when, how and why? You must decide what your target media and audiences will want to know and provide a “what-they-want-to-read version of what-you-want-to-say”. You should adapt a clear writing style: factual points, avoid flowery language, self praise, jargon or ‘sales talk’ and aalways include a quote from a key spokesperson. You can issue press release to announce for/on various occasions such as: Appointment, Launch, Event, Investment, New contract, financial announcements and what not.

A good press release must be Accurate and spelled correctly so it comes okay in copy paste, Interesting, Informative, Targeted, Ready to Use and Of Value to You & the Media. It must convey your message and generate new businesses.

What Constitutes The Media and its Main Purpose?

The media we commonly use is composed of various mediums such as: Newspapers – Local Regional & National, Radio – Local and Regional, Sector Specific Press, Chamber of Commerce Publications, Specific Web Sites and Social/Digital Media, Local Magazines, Regional and National Television and Clubs, Organisations, Institutes.

The main purposes of the media are the one we all are pretty aware of which is To Inform, To Guide, To Promote, To Generate, Interest, To Enhance Reputation and To Clarify Issues, To Counter Rumour & Speculation, To Broadcast Good News, To Raise & Maintain Profile, To Announce Success, To Influence Opinion, To Generate Business and To Engage the Public with Your Enterprises.

Online Media Differences

Online media differentiates from traditional/industrial media any aspects: Quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy and permanence. These effects stem mainly from Internet usage and help to ‘democratise’ the Internet and give access to media. People who are generally not able to access media will do so if they have an interesting and articulating message to gain competitive advantage.

Online media can be used for turning things around for yourself and your business, for changing negative things to positive, sharing videos on YouTube, etc and for telling people around about your products you are selling and the benefits of your products. It’s a low cost option and it does not only raise profile for you and your business but also creates interest, lead to bigger and better things, help drive business to your door, drives profit to the bottom line and it is no doubt worth doing and is the most crucial element for any business to do well.